Lymphedema is a medical condition in which lymphatic return in the soft tissues is interrupted or reduced. The area of the body from which outflow has been compromised becomes swollen with lymph fluid, and as the condition progresses, may become fibrotic as scar tissue accumulates. Lymphedema generally affects the extremities but may also affect the abdomen, genitals and other areas of the torso. When the limb becomes fibrotic and greatly enlarged, the disease is known as elephantiasis. Lymphedema can afflict people of any size; however, it frequently afflicts the morbidly obese. In some cases the patient's lymphedema is in itself the cause of morbid obesity; in other cases, morbid obesity leads to lymphedema.
Lymphedema is treated primarily by compression and special massage. One of the most effective techniques is calibrated gradient sequential compression therapy with a multiplicity of inflating chambers, which inflate and deflate in a predetermined sequence.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,445 discloses a garment comprising a pneumomassage articulated sleeve adapted to fit onto a foot, lower leg and an abdominal area of a patient afflicted with lymphedema or other disorder resulting in excess body fluid. Enveloped by the sleeve is a series of overlapping inflatable cells which when the sleeve is worn, are sequentially inflated to create massaging forces giving rise to a peristaltic action pumping the excess fluid away from the foot, leg and abdominal area. Along the rear of the sleeve is a row of transverse slots forming articulation joints, each of which is normally fastened. To accommodate the sleeve to the patient's foot to be treated, a slot in the row is unfastened to define a foot section conforming to the foot of the patient and a leg section hinged to the foot section conforming to the lower leg of the patient.
There are only a few systems available for treating lymphedema of the morbidly obese, as these patients vary widely in shape, requiring expensive custom garments.